


Strangers in a Strange Land

by IriSelkie



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: F/F, Impossible Wolf, Pete's World, after hell bent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-08-15 14:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8060782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IriSelkie/pseuds/IriSelkie
Summary: Rose Tyler, restless traveler, discovers a diner that shouldn't be there.





	1. Chapter 1

Rose Tyler was nearly thirty, and once again, she found herself aimless. Her family had each other, and technically, she had them too, but she still found herself separated, somehow. Jackie and Pete had experienced their fair share of alien-related strangeness, but Rose Tyler was a world weary time traveler without a time machine, and staying in one place was wearing at her.

The Doctor - no, John, that’s what they had been calling him - had long since left. He technically was the Doctor, but he was also something different, and in the end, he and Rose hadn’t gotten along. Rose loved the Doctor, but part of her resented him a little for saddling her with John, with the command to “make him better.” She knew he had meant well, and that she had helped the Doctor himself after the war, but it didn’t work out in the same way with John. He was better suited to his career at Torchwood, away from her. Maybe he wasn't even there now, either. Maybe he had begun to wander too.

Torchwood hadn’t worked out for Rose either. It was the closest she had come to what she had had with the Doctor, but there was still a part of her that didn’t like taking orders, and eventually, she had been discharged after too many write-ups for disobeying commands. With the Doctor, Rose had been used to doing what she knew in her gut was right, not following the orders of someone with an agenda she hardly knew anything about.

When it came down to it, though, this universe felt _wrong._ She wasn’t born here, and unlike Jackie, she didn’t seem to be able to ever come to peace with it.

So Rose Tyler did what she did best - moved aimlessly, albeit more slowly without a time machine.

She used the money she had saved from Torchwood to travel, and now, she found herself in America. She wasn’t exactly sure what part, but there was a desert, and it was much different scenery than Rose was used to. Her hair was newly short to deal with the hot weather, a pixie cut instead of her long blonde locks. Maybe she would grow it out again, but for now, it felt good to do something different.

The small town she found herself in looked almost abandoned, now that she was coming in from the desert. She was fairly sure at least a few people lived here, because there were a few lights on, but they must not have much of a night life. She saw a sign for a diner down the road and headed that direction, hoping she could pick up a quick dinner.

To her dismay, the lights in the diner were off, and there was a large CLOSED sign on the door. As she looked through the window, however, she saw the silhouette of someone inside. It looked like a woman, and she was leaning against the counter in a tense position, as if she was in pain or shock. Rose almost turned away, figuring the woman was closing up shop for the evening, but something seemed _wrong_ about the way she was standing. Concerned, Rose tried the door. It swung open easily, and the woman at the counter jolted, her eyes wild in the half-light of the night.

The woman rushed at her, grabbing her by the shoulders, and Rose tried to push her away, but the woman was feral-eyed and stronger than she looked.

“My _heart’s_ beating. Why is my heart beating?” The woman didn’t seem to be aware that she had manhandled another person. Rose wondered if she thought she was hallucinating. Something was definitely wrong here, though. Rose held up her hands, and then pried the woman’s hands from her shoulders. She took them instead, trying to calm her down.

“You’re alive. That’s why your heart’s beating. Are you all right?” Rose asked, and she could feel the other woman’s hands shake in hers. Her hair glinted a dark brown in the moonlight, and something about her clothes seemed odd, although she couldn’t tell what it was with the lights off.

“Oh God, I…” The woman trailed off, and Rose realized that she had an English accent. That was strange too, and Rose wondered why she was all the way out here in a small town. “I’m alive. I’m alive. I’m alive.”

She repeated it to herself like a mantra, and then looked behind her, as if someone was pursuing her.

“No hole,” she muttered under her breath. “It’s gone. It worked.”

“Look, I think you should sit down. Let me turn on the light.” Rose let go of the woman’s hands briefly, hoping she wouldn’t bolt, and fiddled in the dark for the diner light. When light flooded the room, Rose felt a cold jolt when she saw what the woman was wearing.

Without a doubt, that was Gallifreyan writing on her clothes.

They didn’t look like ceremonial robes, almost like some kind of uniform, or maybe prison garb. As far as Rose knew, there weren’t Time Lords in this universe. She hadn’t ruled it out, but she was fairly certain there was no Doctor. Maybe there _were_ Time Lords, and the Doctor had just never been born here. Unwanted memories were flooding back, so she pushed them out of her mind, trying to focus on the problem at hand.

“Here, let me help you,” Rose said, rushing toward the woman, who was standing and beginning to wobble, her eyes glassy. The woman’s knees buckled just as Rose reached her, and Rose caught her in her arms as she went unconscious. Afraid for a moment that she might be dead, Rose leaned down to press her ear to the woman’s chest.

Her heart beat steadily, and Rose breathed a sigh of relief. The Gallifreyan writing on the woman’s clothes loomed up at her, though, almost as if it was malicious. Rose settled the woman’s unconscious form into a cushioned booth, waiting uneasily for her to wake up. There was no way she was walking away from this.

_Who are you?_


	2. Chapter 2

It took a long time for the woman to wake up, and while Rose waited, she realized that the heartbeat she had heard was the beat of only one heart, so it was likely the woman was a human. She didn’t understand why a human would be on Gallifrey, much less why Gallifrey existed in the first place. The Doctor had told her about it, but he had made it very clear that it was gone. Maybe it existed in this universe. Rose tried not to wonder if there was a Doctor to go along with it, too. 

Before she had too much time to think about it, the woman’s eyes fluttered open, and Rose rushed over to her, kneeling next to the booth. The woman was still disoriented, so Rose set her hand on hers to ground her, hoping the woman wouldn’t try to bolt.

“Hey, you’re okay. You just passed out,” Rose said, and the woman forced herself to sit up, her face still white with panic. 

“I’ve seen your face before,” the woman said, and Rose moved back slightly, alarmed now. 

“Yes, five minutes ago. I came into your diner, and you panicked, and then you passed out.” The Gallifreyan symbols on the woman’s clothes seemed to leer at Rose, and she knew that wherever this woman had come from, she had escaped something terrible.

“No, I’ve seen your face.” The woman shook her head, and then she looked around the diner. “Is Ashildr - “ The woman frowned, and then she seemed to remember something. “...never mind.” She moved to stand up, and Rose kept close by, wanting to make sure she caught her if she fell over.

“I’m alive,” the woman said again, in awe. Her hand came up to her chest to feel her own heartbeat, and Rose watched her, taking in her features. The woman was beautiful and dark haired, and she swore there was a similar kind of energy as the Doctor about her. She knew the woman  _ wasn’t  _ the Doctor, but her manic manner reminded her of the man she had lost long ago, and she had never seen anyone else like that before. 

“Yes, you are. What’s your name? I’m Rose. Rose Tyler.” Rose offered a hand to shake, trying to regain some normalcy. Part of her was thrilled that she encountered something so bizarre again, but if it involved Gallifrey, it was likely that it involved great danger, too. 

“Clara Oswald.” The woman took Rose’s hand, shaking it for a moment, and then her eyes widened in recognition. “You’re so much older now. But I remember you.” 

Rose shook her head. “You must be thinking of someone else.”

“No, you wouldn’t remember me anyway. But I was there,” Clara said, her voice still slightly out of breath. Her hands were shaking with adrenaline, so Rose took them, trying to steady her. “You were with his ninth incarnation. You both almost died, but you escaped. You didn’t see me, but I was there. I helped you escape.” 

Rose’s heart twisted and ached at the mention of the first Doctor she had known. He seemed so far away now, and she missed him just as much as she missed the Doctor who had come after him. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember you,” Rose reiterated, wondering how she could have missed something like that.

“It’s a long story. I know your name because his eleventh incarnation told me about you, later. ...which is a longer story.” Clara shook her head. “I traveled with him, like you. But after. And then I got tangled up in his timestream. So I’ve known all of his selves.” Rose’s first reaction was to feel jealous, but then, all she could feel was empathy for the other woman. If the Doctor wasn’t here now, Clara had lost him too, so they were alike in that. She didn’t know what Clara had been to the Doctor, but somehow, having her here now helped a little. 

“There is no Doctor in this universe,” Rose said. “You’re right that I traveled with him, but I am not from this universe, and neither is he. How did you get here?” 

Clara shook her head. “Don’t want to talk about it. And I should probably go.” 

“Go?”

Clara brushed past Rose, and Rose felt a jolt of  _ something  _ when they touched. Rose followed Clara, and then her heart stopped in her throat when Clara opened a door in the side of the diner. It wasn’t the one she had known, but she knew exactly what it was.

“You have a TARDIS!” Rose dashed into the console room behind Clara, before Clara could stop her. It didn’t feel like the Doctor’s TARDIS, and it was mostly white on the inside, but she had no doubt as to what it was. 

“You need to go.” Clara stopped at the console, her hand on a lever. “And so do I.”

“You have a  _ TARDIS! _ ” Rose repeated, half jealous, half elated. How on earth had a human being gotten her own TARDIS? Maybe that was what made Clara seem so much like the Doctor - perhaps she had stolen it, just like him. 

“People are after me, and if they find me, they will kill me. If you’re stuck in here, you’ll be collateral damage. Get out.” Clara’s tone was cold now, with a tinge of sadness. If Clara was so much like the Doctor, then Rose knew that Clara shouldn’t be alone, even if she thought she should.

“There’s no way in hell that I’m leaving. I have nothing in this world, and you have  _ everything. _ ” Rose folded her arms, giving Clara a challenging stare. 

“No, I just have a diner. That’s all. Now leave, Rose Tyler.” For a long moment, the Impossible Girl and the Bad Wolf stared at each other, two cosmic forces facing off. Then, finally, Rose spoke.

“He told me that once. And I came back and destroyed the Dalek Empire. So you’re not getting rid of me,” Rose said. Clara’s icy stare warmed up just a fraction, although Rose might have been imagining it. 

“All right, if you insist. I suppose I could use some extra hands. But if you die, it’s your fault. Not mine.” Clara began pulling levers and pushing buttons, and Rose braced herself as the TARDIS took off, her heart pounding. She never thought she would hear this sound, feel these sensations, ever again. 

“Been there, done that. Don’t worry about me.” 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Life happened. I can't guarantee regular updates with this fic because life continues to be crazy, but I definitely want to continue writing it.

Clara did not seem to have a destination in mind, so Rose explored the TARDIS as it floated through space. Clara wasn’t exactly warming up, so she figured she’d give her a bit of space. She reminded her of the first incarnation of the Doctor she had encountered, back at the beginning - all coldness and efficiency, masking terrible mental and emotional wounds. She wondered what had happened to Clara to bring her here, but she didn’t dare ask. She knew she was one wrong question away from being literally kicked into space. 

Rose had a hunch, though, even though not all of it made sense yet. Clara had said people were after her, and Clara had arrived wearing Gallifreyan clothing. She looked like she had been a Gallifreyan captive, but if that was the case, that meant Gallifrey hadn’t been destroyed after all. Maybe she and Clara were from different universes after all, and had known parallel Doctors. She wondered what a Doctor who hadn’t destroyed Gallifrey would be like. It was pointless imagining, though, because she doubted she’d see any version of the Doctor ever again.

After finding a room to call her own and a bed to sleep in, Rose let herself rest. When she woke up, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but Clara obviously hadn’t thrown her out in her sleep, and she felt quite rested. She hoped that Clara might be a little friendlier now that some time had passed, so Rose found some non-pajama clothes to wear and then made her way back up to the TARDIS console. 

To her alarm, she saw Clara slumped against the console, motionless, and she ran to see if she was all right. Then, bewildered, she realized Clara was sleeping. She had half a mind to wake her up, but if Clara was this exhausted, she should probably catch up on sleep. Tempting fate, Rose gently hefted the smaller woman into her arms, carrying her until she reached the first available bedroom. She set her down on the bed to rest, and then waited at her side, wanting to be there so Clara wouldn’t be startled when she woke. Clara had the imprint of a few TARDIS buttons on her face, and Rose almost laughed a little. 

Clara slept longer than Rose expected, and soon, Rose had fallen asleep in her chair. Finally, she awoke again when she heard Clara murmuring her sleep, murmurs which quickly escalated to strangled nightmare screams. Rushing toward her, Rose shook Clara’s shoulders gently, trying to wake her up. Words came out of Clara’s mouth that Rose didn’t recognize - “Oubliette,” “Ashildr,” and “Osla.” Then, a familiar word.

“ _ No! _ ” Clara screamed and sat bolt upright, accidentally knocking heads with Rose as she did so. Rose reeled backward, swearing under her breath at the pain, and she let Clara go, backing off in case she became physically aggressive. Clara’s eyes were still half nightmare-wild, and her breaths were ragged as she tried to steady herself. Slowly, the glassiness in her eyes cleared, and she looked over to Rose, still looking like she might bolt.

“You’re okay. It was a nightmare,” Rose said, massaging her temple where Clara’s forehead had hit it. That was going to leave a mark. It took Clara a few moments to speak, and Clara stared at her as if she was trying to remember who she was.

“I...I haven’t slept in a long time. Centuries,” Clara said, her voice raspy from screaming. “Didn’t think I still needed to. But apparently people do that, when their hearts beat.” Rose wasn’t quite sure what Clara was talking about, but she nodded, not wanting to disturb her further. She remembered that Clara had been shocked that she was alive when Rose had encountered her, and it made Rose wonder. What  _ had _ Clara been before coming here?

“No wonder you needed sleep, then.” Rose managed a weak laugh, but Clara didn’t respond to it. 

“What did you hear? Was I talking?” Clara asked, suddenly looking paranoid. 

“Just some words I didn’t recognize. Don’t worry, I’ll probably forget what they were by tomorrow. ...whenever tomorrow is. I don’t know what time it is,” Rose said, shrugging a little. Clara seemed like she wanted to press her further for a moment, but she went silent, laying back on the bed, exhausted.

“Nothing hits you quite as hard as the nightmares you get after TARDIS adventures, does it?” Rose said, trying to sympathize. She wouldn’t trade what she had had with the Doctor for the world, but sometimes what she had seen woke her up screaming, just like Clara. Sometimes it was the moment when she had fallen across the void, separated from the Doctor, but other times, it was something as minor as Cassandra possessing her and calling her a bouncy castle. One could never really predict brains. 

“I guess you’d understand that, wouldn’t you?” Clara said after a long moment, and Rose offered her a faint smile, nodding. 

“The Doctor was always kind of an adrenaline junkie. I imagine he was like that with you, too. That doesn’t seem to change, when he switches faces,” Rose said, and to her surprise, Clara laughed.

“You’ve got that right. You know, we were so dangerous together that we had to be separated. I’m just as bad as he is.” Clara patted the bed beside her, and Rose moved to sit on its edge, not wanting to get too close, but appreciating the offer of friendliness. 

“Who separated you?” Rose frowned. Being torn away from the Doctor by events out of her control was bad enough, but she couldn’t imagine it happening because some person had said so.

“We separated ourselves. Long story. He doesn’t remember me.” Clara shrugged, looking like she was trying to play it off, but Rose could tell that it hurt her still. She knew that look very well on a face, these days. 

“It’s...nice to talk to you like this. Someone who understands,” Clara said, and now, her voice had no ice in it at all. Rose decided that when Clara wasn’t angry, her voice was lovely to listen to, and she hoped she’d get to hear Clara more like this as they traveled.

“Likewise,” Rose said, and they slipped into an amiable silence. Finally, Clara spoke again.

“I have a lot of sleep to catch up on.”

Rose moved to get up, but Clara continued after hesitating a moment.

“Can you stay? I don’t know what I’ll dream again.” Clara’s voice was quiet now, and Rose could practically hear the embarrassment. Something in her made her unable to refuse, though, and she found herself nodding.

“Of course. You might have to do me the same favor, honestly,” Rose said. She settled down on the other side of the bed to Clara, careful not to touch her. For all her ferocity, Clara looked gentle and vulnerable when she was lying down, and Rose resisted an inexplicable urge to wrap her arms around her. She told herself it was the Doctor-like manner Clara had that was giving her these thoughts. Regardless, she wasn’t going to act on them.

“Sleep well, Clara.” 

Later, as they both dozed, Clara’s hand found its way into Rose’s, and Rose didn’t have the heart to let it go. 

**Author's Note:**

> Tagged as Big Finish because there are plot elements for later that reference things from the EDAs/Gallifrey.


End file.
